Prismatic

Dojo

We landed on solid ground but with a gentle thud. The ground was made of ancient white stones in a triangular pattern. The clouds remained stagnant on a sunny sky of blue. There were ancient temples floating few steps apart connected by bridges. The temples were of uniform crimson red in color. In front of us was a staircase made of white stones. Lutin was walking down on it, wearing a golden ceremonial robe fit for temples. “Greetings, champions!” he stretched out his arms to us, “Congratulations on passing the previous floor.”

“You have just arrived on the second checkpoint of the tower”, he continued, “You can replenish yourselves and savor the scenery. This floor has an ancient history and the tales of old tell us that if you find the secret of this floor it will grant you one wish. Have fun and enjoy yourselves, champions.”

“Hey, will you yank us out of bed again like last time?” Aina followed up this time.

“Most certainly not”, his tone was serious, “the last time was an urgent matter that needed immediate attention.”

“Will we be notified of our departure?” Bry asked.

“Of course champions”, he lightened his tone a little, “I apologize for the previous incident. I will assure you that you will be informed ahead of time.”

He left without another word. We went up to the temple ahead of us to see what’s inside. An opening was formed into a triangle. We were greeted by Lutin, a different one this time that wore a jade green robe, “Greetings, champions. I am Lutin and I am happy to be of service.”

“What is this place?” Tyke looked around.

“This is where you will be staying for some time”, he gestured for us to come in.

I threw my eyes around the inn. Inside was a ceiling made out of green jade, the yellow green walls were decorated with paintings of cherry blossoms and bonsai plants. A low table of ash brown wood was placed at the center complemented by intricately designed cotton mats. Sprigs of cherry blossoms inside an antique green vase were placed at the center of the table. There were four rooms with paper sliding doors which were designed intricately like the cotton mats. The rooms were the same as the common area minus the table. The beds were made with the same materials as the table. There was also a traditional cooking area where a black clay pot could be placed was found at the backroom.

“What can you tell us about this floor?” Bry asked Lutin as we toured around the backroom.

“Hmm”, Lutin thought for a minute, “All of the shops are located to the north, training dojos are located to the east and recreational areas are found to the west.”

“I think I will go shopping for some meat”, I decided.

“But we still have a lot of food from the blue floor”, Bry complained.

“I was thinking of saving them for later”, I pondered, “Besides, we have a lot of currency and I need to spend some of them, at least. The stash is breaking my back already.”

“Okay, okay”, he sulked, “Want me to go with you?”

“I think I’m fine”, I smiled at him reassuringly, “unless you need something there.”

“I was thinking of going there also”, he hesitated, “I think my stock is thinning out.”

“Okay”, I smiled at him brightly. I grabbed his hand, “Shall we go?”

Aina and Tyke decided to go to the recreational areas and half of the Halvers went with them. We went ahead of them with the other half. The shops all looked the same as the floating temples. All of them only had illustrations drawn on them. No one was standing at the shops but there was a street sign at the center of the shopping place, “You are welcome to buy whatever you need. Place the payment in place of the selected item. We value honesty above all.”

I looked for the meat shop while Bry looked for potions and raw materials shop. I stumbled upon the meat shop. There was a wide variety of cuts laid in front of me. A pound of meat was equivalent to one currency as indicated by its sign. I decided to buy a hundred pounds of assorted cuts. I asked Bry, who was still looking for the shops he needed, for help on transporting the meat. Bry groaned but agreed to help, anyway. With a flick of a finger, the meat was transported to the inn. When I placed the currency, it vanished before my eyes like some invisible hand was waiting for payment. I still had my seasonings and soup bases so I went to the vegetable shop and bought a variety of colored vegetables. I stuck along to help Bry find the shops while the Halvers were singing in chorus most of the time. The shops were way far back the shopping place. It felt like déjà vu when I followed Bry to the potions shop. It boasted wider varieties than the ones in the market. Aside from the colored potions, there were also ones with roots from some trees and vegetables soaked in a solution. There were also extracts from fruits and flowers. Bry stuck to his type of potions. Next was the raw materials shop. It had exotic materials ranging from snake tongue to frog liver to elephant iris. Bry chose some strange strings of a murky color, some insect antennae and some animal toenails. He grabbed all that he bought and put them in his void pocket. We proceeded home to prepare lunch.

I went to the backroom to prepare the cooking area. Bry helped me prepare the meat. I washed my hand before I proceeded with washing the ingredients. I prepared the vegetables and sauces. Bry had already seasoned the meat well. He cooked the meat first, sizzling into the first touch. I added the sauce and vegetables then I let them simmer. We talked while we waited for lunch to cook. “So, what were you trying to tell me last time?” I prompted him.

“I told you to forget about that”, he looked abashed.

“Please”, I took his face and looked him in the eyes, “even just a little hint?”

“My only hint is I will tell you in time”, he said sternly.

“So, unfair”, I pouted, “after you stole my lips a lot of times already…”

“I was just helping you calm down”, he looked away hiding a smirk.

“I don’t need your help”, I was starting to get irritated, “I can manage myself.”

He caressed my face, “If you say so.”

I prepared myself just in case he launches one again but my body started to betray me again. I tried to resist but my body gave in easily. He kissed me like how I handled food, he was gentle but hushed. He pushed himself away to give me space to breathe. I was left there blank and light-headed. He stood up and tended to the boiling bubbles of the pot. I regained myself when Bry picked me up from my frozen state. Lunch was served and Aina and Tyke arrived on time. I think they had a strong sense when food was ready.

“So, how were the recreational areas?” I asked Aina.

“It was fun”, she was thrilled by the question, “only Tyke was strangling me most of the time.”

“Tell the truth, Aina”, Tyke was glaring at her, “it was the other way around.”

“No, it was not”, Aina retorted.

“It was. I almost died.” Tyke reenacted the scene. Aina was giggling.

“What do they have there?” I ignored the theatrical play.

“A lot of amusements, refreshments and galleries”, he looked up and raised his hands to illustrate, “It was more of an amusement park than a recreational one, though.”

“Seems fun”, I looked at Bry expectantly.

“Oh no, Jo… I can’t”, Bry froze a second.

“Please?” I pleaded.

“Why not go to the training dojos first?” Bry suggested instead, “If we have time, we will go to the other one.”

“It’s a deal”, I agreed.

We finished lunch and we rested for a while in our rooms. The Halvers only tasted the food that we made but they never really ate. I wonder what they feed on, though. Then, I shifted my thoughts about what to bring or what to wear. I scrapped that thought when I knew that I didn’t have any of either. I suddenly remembered how Tyke fought in the previous floors. The way he wielded his weapon, his foot movements and his fighting style. I’m no expert but I think he makes up his fighting capabilities for his lack of magic practice. It was a given that he just discovered his magic a few floors ago. He started to use it quickly in some floors. I think he can be the best of both worlds–fighting prowess and magic offense.

I got up as it was time to go to the training dojos. Bry left his crimson cloak and other wearables but left his clothes intact. He also left his crystal wand securely at the inn. I brought everything with me just in case. There was a street sign that greeted us. It said, “Those who seek strength do not come here. Only those who want to discover their inner strength do proceed. We value perseverance above all.” Beyond that, there were three fighting dojos of similar structures with illustrations–sword, torso and mind. I chose the mind while Bry chose the torso. Inside the mind dojo were thousands of bookshelves lined up as high as its ceiling. The works were as ancient as the bookshelves themselves as seen from their used conditions. There was a shadowy red figure seated at the center of the room. The base had a triple triangle drawn on it that glow an ethereal white light. The figure acknowledged my presence and spoke, “I know what you seek. Come, champion.”

I hesitantly approached the raspy masculine tone of the voice. He flew toward one of the bookshelves while I approached. He held out a decrepit book from one of the lower shelves on the right. The book was a hardbound made from animal skin. The cover also had a triple triangle like the one Bry gave me. The leaves were of material thinner than paper. I flipped the pages as carefully as possible. There were drawings of mythical creatures I have never seen before. Some of which, we have fought before. There were also illustrations of Lutins and Konungroi. The Lutins were the servants of Tregelheim and served different functions aside from being assessors. Then, I came across the illustration of the tower. There were floating rooms drawn at the sides per three floors that were floating in between them. Those were the checkpoints. There were also hidden rooms described but were not illustrated. These rooms could appear when certain things are triggered. There was also a written record about the myth of the tower and its subsequent peril that the people spoke about outside Tregelheim. I closed the book thinking that there was nothing of interest there anymore. Suddenly, the book within my mind glowed and placed itself exactly as the book. There was a sudden tremor and I could hear distant cracks that resulted from it. The wall in front of me cracked wide in half and a long portal of gray and white opened that stretched to the ceiling. The figure motioned me to enter. I was suspicious but curious at the same time. Luckily, I thought, I brought everything with me. I saw three Halvers come to my aid. They sang a gentle tune in chorus. They swirled around the room. I calmed myself for a while before I approached the portal. I entered it and braced myself for the unknown.